Gear of the Year 2015

Olympus OM-D E-M5 II

ID: 16853

The ambitious baby brother of the Olympus flagship OM-D E-M1, the OM-D E-M5 II has a much-improved image stabilisation system that Olympus has cleverly used for multiple tasks. Not only does the £900 camera offer excellent in- body five-axis steadying for all lenses mounted on it, but the maker has used the camera’s ability to accurately shift the sensor to produce a multishot mode that increases image resolution to 40-megapixels. In one exposure, eight images  are combined as the sensor delicately shifts to the side, up and down to build a more detailed picture of the scene. Admittedly, it only works for static subjects when the camera is tripod-mounted, as the total exposure duration is long enough to show movement, but it is very clever – and effective – all the same.

Other noteworthy features include a series of improved long exposure and bulb-type modes in which exposure can be built up and reviewed in stages, a fabulous 2.36 million-dot EVF, a 10fps frame rate and a new vari-angle rear screen.

www.olympus.co.uk

Oberwerth Freiburg

There was a time when camera bags were just for carrying cameras – utility sacks for getting expensive things from A to B in one piece. But after a while, good but dull bags can lose their attraction, and we might begin to crave something a little more stylish that is also a joy to use. Oberwerth is a brand that creates made-in-Germany bags from leather and Cordura that not only look very nice but are a delight to use too. While they are as rugged, weather-proof, protective and hard-wearing as the best big-brand bags, Oberwerth bags look stylish at the same time. You wouldn’t believe that the straps are cut-resistant because the tough anti-bad-guy material is covered in soft leather.

The bags are lightweight and very well padded, and across the range there is a choice of small to medium sizes. The Freiburg (€479) is just about big enough for a CSC and a couple of lenses, or to wrap up four lenses while the camera is in your hand. Very classy, practical and a pleasure to use.

www.oberwerth.com

Nissin Di700A and Air 1 Commander

Catering for the major new mirrorless systems from Sony, Fujfilm and Olympus, as well as the mainstream Nikon and Canon protocols, Nissin’s Di700A (Air) and Air Commander wireless flash kit brings true 2.5GHz radio frequency remote TTL exposure and control down to under £200. The mid-range size and weight of the Di700A flashgun itself suits mirrorless systems as well as compact DSLRs, while GN54 at 200mm power output is close to the most popular speedlights. RF control requires the on-camera Air 1 Commander (the flashgun cannot control other guns) and this is included in the kit. The Di700A can also use infrared TTL remote protocols to mix with brands using this method, and optical slave triggering (with pre-flash skip function). It even has a PC sync terminal and can be used with studio flash systems. RF triggering works up to 30m without needing line of sight.

www.kenro.co.uk

Fujifilm X-T10

Fuji Xt10KitLens copy

Bucking the trend of pushing buyers into the higher-end model to get the best capability, Fujifilm’s X-T10 is nothing less than a smaller X-T1 for half the price (£499). Direct ISO control has gone but the electronic viewfinder retains the class-leading performance, albeit similarly scaled down. Even the appearance has been carefully reworked, with a simpler aesthetic that recalls 1960s SLR entry-level designs. There’s nothing entry-level about the X-T10’s capabilities though, with its 16.2-megapixel X-Trans II sensor, full wifi remote control with free software, electronic and mechanical shutter options and even two small improvements over the bigger X T1. There’s a pop-up flash for convenience, and a push-select button on the rear wheel.

www.fujifilm/eu/uk

Eizo ColorEdge CG318-4K

High-resolution UHD 4k and even 5k monitors have been with us for a year or so, but none stand out more than Eizo’s 31.5-inch CG318-4K model. Besides the £4000 monitor’s physical presence, what’s impressive about this is that it balances the needs of both stills and video users with a degree of refinement not found on other products.

Not only does it allow native viewing of 4k footage with the benefits of practically 100 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 (digital projection) and Adobe RGB colour spaces (which of course includes most ISO-coated and US web-coated CMYK colour spaces), it offers the unrivalled convenience and long-term colour accuracy of Eizo’s often overlooked automated calibration and profiling option. Support for 10-bit colour with Apple’s OS X El Capitan should also result in fewer visual artefacts. Despite the higher resolution it has a lower pixel pitch than the f24-inch UHD 4K model, making it easier to discern sharpness.

www.eizo.co.uk

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